Frequently Asked Questions

A world of meaning is hidden in these two syllables and their call-and-response connection:

• YON: the purifying whitewater river and, phonetically, similar to ‘ion’, the energy particle.
• KA: the eternal soul in each being, from the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs.

Yes, while our name is quite unique , the brand is 100% French and family-owned. Products are formulated, manufactured, tested, and distributed by Laboratoires Multaler, located in Argenteuil, a suburb of Paris.

It’s our brand’s exclusive, iconic, 100% natural complex composed of five essential oils from the Mediterranean region, obtained by distillation:

• lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) from Haute-Provence
• geranium (Rosmarinus officinalis cineoliferum) from Egypt
• rosemary (Rusmarinus officinalis cineoliferum) from Morocco
• cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) from France
• thyme (Thymus vulgaris) from Spain

They work in synergy and are always added in careful doses for maximum safety. They bring beneficial properties to your skin. They’re included in 100% of Yon-Ka phyto-aromatic skincare treatments given at spas and institutes and in 70% of Yon-Ka’s at-home products.

They enhance the efficacy of the associated active ingredients and feel like a scent sensation that relaxes or energises depending on what’s needed.

This compound word contains the word ‘phyto’, which means ‘plant’, and the word ‘aromatic’, which is related to aroma, meaning the volatile components of certain plants or their essential oils.

All active ingredients from land or marine plants – from root to seed, bud to leaf, flower to fruit – belong to a science called ‘phytotherapy’, which also includes:

• aromatherapy, or therapy with essential oils,
• aromachology, which comes from aromatherapy and studies how odours and aromas influence human behaviour,
• gemmotherapy, or therapy using tree and shrub buds, which contain the future plant’s embryonic tissues and all its vitality.

Since we were founded in 1954, Yon-Ka has been a pioneer in using these plant resources to help skin recover its ability to regain balance and beauty, and to promote authentic well-being.

These are holistic, customised face and body care treatments provided by aestheticians who are trained in to use our treatments and products. They include carefully-crafted protocols and exclusive techniques backed by knowledge and extensive professional expertise.

We use organic plant extracts whenever we can, but they aren’t always available. Our analytical tests enable us to select extracts whose active compounds are qualitatively and quantitatively characterised (titrated extracts) so that we can guarantee efficacy remains constant over time. We currently use 24 organic ingredients in 49 Yon-Ka products.

Our approved suppliers provide us with certificates confirming that their raw materials are GMO-free.

Yes, our products are all made in France.

Since we were founded in 1954, we’ve worked hard to be as natural as possible in our formulations, but creating a formula may require synthetic ingredients. Some natural active ingredients don’t always have the required efficacy or can be irritating at the required dose. Our philosophy is to choose the most natural and best tolerated products possible while respecting the environment to give you visible results and true well-being.

Our products are formulated to include the maximum number of natural, preferably organic, active ingredients but these aren’t always available in organic versions.

Being vegan means refusing to consume or apply any products that come from animals or are produced by them. For cosmetics, this means banning collagen, elastin, silk extracts, milk proteins, lanolin, honey, beeswax, propolis, royal jelly, etc.

All Yon-Ka are vegan except:

• Advanced Optimizer Cream, Serum,
  Gel Lift,
• Hand Cream,
  Cream 15,
  Cream 55,
  Cream 93,
• Elastin Day, Elastin Night
• Excellence Code Mask,
• Nutri-Contour,
  Nutri-Cream,
• Grapefruit Dry Skin,
  Grapefruit Normal to Oily Skin,
• Phyto-Contour,
  Phyto 52, Phyto 58 Oily Skin, Phyto 58 Normal to Oily Skin, Phyto 152,
• Sensitive Mask.
  

We do not do any testing on animals, in accordance with our ethics and legislation in Europe and in the many countries to which we export.

For your information, in the European Union, testing finished cosmetic products (meaning products as they’re sold to consumers) on animals has been prohibited since 11 September 2004. Our products are tested on healthy volunteers using alternative methods under the supervision of doctors, dermatologists, and ophthalmologists.

Certain ingredients contain infinitesimal traces of gluten that cannot be detected in the final product. Here is the list:

• Cream OS
• Cream 55
• Elastin Night
• Time Resist Day
  

Some of our products are preservative-free when the formula permits it. When a preservative is necessary to protect the consumer from contamination risks, Yon-Ka uses the most effective and best tolerated preservative system.

We have removed all parabens from our formulas.

We have prohibited the use of this very allergy-triggering preservative for many years.

This very effective preservative is permitted by international authorities in concentrations up to 1%. It is considered non-CMR.* Some Yon-Ka products contain an average dose of less than 0.5% phenoxyethanol. When included, it appears on product labels and product sheet on our website. Even though it belongs to the glycol ethers family, international scientific authorities consider it safe for human health at the approved dose.
CMR = carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic (CMR)

A majority of our products contain silicones in percentages mostly below 1%. Their role is to improve the product’s texture, making it smooth and soft. At the dosage used, there is no occlusive effect and skin breathing isn’t impeded. The silicones we’ve chosen have good biodegradability overall.

Yon-Ka does not use these surfactants because we consider them too irritating.

European authorities require cosmetic product manufacturers to list 26 natural or synthetic compounds, considered frequent allergens, if they are present in concentrations of more than 0.01% in rinse-off products and more than 0.001% in no-rinse products. These compounds exist in essential oils and fragrances, so some of these allergens are listed on packages and ingredient lists.

Tell us what substances you’re allergic to. We’ll verify which products contain these allergens and send you the list.

This symbol refers to the maximum time you can use the product after opening it. For example, 6M = maximum duration of six months after opening, ensuring optimal use of the product. The word ‘month’ is represented by the letter M.
This labelling requirement applies to products whose shelf life is 30 months or longer. Single-use or aerosol products are exempt.

The notice listed on tubes, bottles, and cases is: ‘best used before’, followed by two numbers representing the month and two representing the year. For example, 04/22 means April 2022.

This statement is not an expiration date.

A cosmetic product can therefore be used beyond the
period, but only if:

- the product has not been opened

- the product has been stored at a temperate storage temperature

- no observable anomalies in terms of texture, color or odor.

All our products are all made in France. Traceability is in place from raw materials all the way through product manufacturing and delivery.

Raw materials are carefully selected, analysed, and tested by our labs for maximum security. We complete chemical and bacteriological tests internally.

The air in our manufacturing facilities is filtered according to GMP ISO 22716 standards and all our equipment is stainless steel.All of the products we sell undergo safety testing and safety evaluations by an expert toxicologist. Product efficacy claims are based on efficacy testing completed by independent labs under medical supervision.

The efficacy tests we complete involve various methods:

1. in-vitro tests on cell cultures,
2. ex-vivo tests on human skin explants,
3. linical evaluations (scoring of various parameters: wrinkles, radiance, non-comedogenicity, instrument measurements of hydration and exfoliating, lightening, and firming properties) under the supervision of a research doctor,
4. consumer satisfaction tests.

None of these tests are conducted on animals.

We’re committed to protecting Nature

1. Yon-Ka will not use plants that are disappearing or whose use risks depriving indigenous peoples of food resources they need for well-being.
2. Yon-Ka sponsors a set-up of hives with Un Toit pour les Abeilles (A Roof for the Bees) to fight the alarming disappearance of pollinating insects.

We’re committed to sustainable development

1. For some of its packaging, Yon-Ka uses cardboard made from trees sustainably managed by a Swedish company that’s one of the 100 most committed to sustainable development in the world, according to the United Nations Global Compact index.
   We’re committed to social good
2. Yon-Ka favours suppliers who are committed to following the regime for the protection of traditional indigenous knowledge about biological resources.

We support women with breast cancer

For all our developments, Yon-Ka draws inspiration from women’s beauty and their needs. So it’s completely natural for our brand to support research on breast cancer through the Ruban Rose (Pink Ribbon) organisation.

Choose the items you want to purchase and click ‘Add to basket’. You can continue shopping or go directly to check-out. Once your products are in the basket, you can click on ‘See basket’ and ‘Confirm order’.

When your order and payment are confirmed, we’ll send you a confirmation email. If your order was confirmed, you can see a summary in the ‘My orders’ section of your account. If you don’t get this email, it’s possible your order wasn’t recorded. To double-check, contact us via the contact form or phone us on +(33) 1 41 19 56 56 (Monday through Friday from 9a.m. to 5p.m.).

Once your order has been prepared and shipped, you’ll get a shipping confirmation via email. You can track your package with the link you’ll find in that email.

Before your payment is confirmed, you can change or cancel your order on the ‘My basket’ page at the order confirmation step. In order to get your package to you as soon as possible, you cannot cancel or change your order once it’s been finalised. You can return all or part of your order. See our return policy section for details.

We send you three free samples with each order of any amount that you place online. You can choose your samples from our catalogue at the order confirmation step.
Regrettably, Yon-Ka does not sent samples by mail on request.

On the ‘My basket’ page, click on ‘I have a promo code’ and enter your code in the box that appears underneath this phrase. You must click on ‘Apply’ to confirm this code. Then the offer will be added to your basket. Remember that our offers can only be used once per person.

Your online payment is 100% secure. The bank transaction is completed directly between you and the banking entity. No data is stored on our servers, so your banking information remains completely confidential.

You can pay for your purchases of any amount with a credit card (Bage Bleue, Visa, MasterCard) or with PayPal.

Orders are delivered between two and five working days after they are shipped. Your order will be shipped after your payment is accepted and certain data is confirmed.

If your order is incomplete and/or damaged when it arrives, here’s what you should do:

If the package has been opened and/or is damaged, you can refuse it. It will be returned by the shipper. Contact Customer Care to submit a claim.

If you’ve accepted the package and realise it does not match your order, you will need to send the following items along with your claim:

1. If you receive a damaged or broken product: a photo of the entire package and the label, a photo of the inside of the package, and a photo of the damaged product
2. If you receive an incomplete package or one that doesn’t match your order: a photo of the entire package and its label, and a photo of the package contents

You can contact our Customer Care department by phone on +(33) 1 41 19 56 56 (Monday through Friday from 9a.m. to 6p.m.) or via our contact form.